


today's special

by astronauts



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Cafe AU, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-10
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-05-06 00:20:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5395589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astronauts/pseuds/astronauts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>carmilla karnstein's probably the worst barista you'll ever meet. unless you're laura hollis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	today's special

**Author's Note:**

> this is dumb and quick but i saw something this afternoon and i wanted to write it down and i'm always a sucker for cafe aus & also there might be another chapter but i'm not sure yet bc this could end as a one-shot too so.
> 
> anyway carmilla is smitten and stupid & laura is also smitten while danny and laf are 500% children so have fun.

The saturated sunlight filters in through the obnoxiously huge panel of glass serving as a window at the front of the cafe, drawing a scowl from Carmilla’s usually stoic face. Carmilla only worked here because she needed to pay off her college bills and she refused to use the money her mother had offered. That and the fact that she’d started growing fond of the three redheads at work. The customer in front of her pays and leaves the counter, directing the sunlight into her squinted eyes. She grabs a new cup bites the cap of the marker off, poising the uncapped marker at the side of the plastic cup and looks up half expectantly at the next customer in line. 

“Carmilla!” Perry calls from the kitchen and Carmilla arches an eyebrow. “Was it you who—"

“Yes,” she drawls back as loudly as she can with the marker cap clenched between her teeth. “Can I have your name?” She looks back up at the customer. 

“Calvin, with a C.” He supplies and Carmilla rolls her eyes before writing _kelvinc_ on the cup and sliding it across the counter to Lafontaine. 

“I didn’t even finish my sentence.” Perry shuffles out of the kitchen carrying bags of coffee beans. 

“Eight out of ten of the things that require your suspicion and investigation boils down to me.” Carmilla drops the capped marker back into her apron before grabbing the sacks of beans and tipping them into the loud whirring machine. 

“The other two out of ten is me.” Lafontaine supplies from where they're stirring the froth quickly. Carmilla shoots them a grin before grabbing Calvin with a C’s cup and shoving cups of ice and milk into the blender. “That’s not how you make a caramel frap.” Lafontaine peaks over her shoulder. She shrugs and squeezes one extra pump of caramel syrup into the drink. Once the grinding of the blender stops, Carmilla grabs the whipped cream and squeezes the lever over the cup. The cream ends up half slipping off the edge of the cup. She caps it anyway and hands it to Calvin who frowns at the name scrawled across the cup. 

A customer enters and Carmilla pats her hands dry on her apron before grabbing another cup and uncapping her marker. The customer orders something before leaning his elbows on the counter and looking at Carmilla’s name tag. 

“Name?” Carmilla monotonously draws out and the customer perks up. 

“How about you write your number there instead, Camilla?” He points to the blank space on the cup and smirks at Carmilla. She furrows her eyebrows and narrows her eyes. She really needs to fix her name tag. 

“Wow, must’ve been difficult for your mother to come up with such a name.” She calls loudly before scribbling a drawing of a deformed dick on the cup and passing it to Danny. Snickers and whispers arise from the line forming behind this customer and he scurries off quickly. The redhead stifles a laugh and grabs the cup, rushing off to make the drink. Perry sighs and quickly pushes back into the kitchen to avoid witnessing Carmilla frighten her customers away. 

(Perry would've fired Carmilla but she's one of the only reasons why so many people frequent this cafe.)

The line clears after ten minutes and Carmilla leans her palms on the counter, tilting her head from side to side and glancing occasionally at the clock on the wall. Another five minutes pass before the bell tinkles again and the door opens. Laura Hollis enters the cafe and all air leaves Carmilla’s lungs.

Laura was a year above Carmilla and the head editor of the school newspaper. She takes pride in her work but she's always humble. Her articles always left Carmilla awestruck and wanting more. Plus, she was gorgeous. You can't blame Carmilla for feeling nervous whenever she's in her presence.

Lafontaine and Danny shoot her a gleeful smirks from behind the coffee machine and she scowls at them before turning back to face the counter. The strawberry blonde stops in front of Carmilla and bounces back on the heels of her feet. “Breathe, fang face.” Danny jabs her elbow with a whisk as she passes by. Carmilla grumbles before composing herself. _Just be normal. Just be normal._

“Hi welcome!” Carmilla fumbles with the marker cap and immediately shuts her mouth when she realises that her voice came out a few octaves higher and infinitely more cheerful. Laura sends her a smile and shuffles awkwardly between her feet as she stares hard at the menu on the chalkboard above Carmilla’s head. There’s a line forming behind Laura and Carmilla licks her lips. “Would you like a recommendation?” She offers and Laura’s gaze snaps back to Carmilla. 

“Oh, uh no, I know what I want to order.” She stutters and rummages in her bag for her wallet. Carmilla waits another five seconds before speaking again.

“And what might that be, poptart?” 

“Uh, today’s special?” Laura tilts her head at the confusion that passes over Carmilla’s face and Carmilla’s never seen anything more adorable. This girl isn't good for Carmilla’s mental health.

“Wait, hold on even I don’t know what that is.” She sheepishly apologises before shouting back to the kitchen. Laura’s face turns inexplicably red and Carmilla panics and asks for her name in an attempt to placate her. 

“My name?” Laura’s mouth hangs open for a second before she nods.” Laura.”

“Perry! What’s today’s special?” Carmilla shouts again and Lafontaine almost chokes on air but Carmilla ignores them. 

“Bubblegum vanilla frappuccino with triple chocolate sauce!” Danny yells from behind and Carmilla’s nose wrinkles at that.

(Here’s the second thing that attracts the crowd to this cafe — their daily specials. The third was Danny’s impeccable latte art.)

“You sure you still want today’s special?” Carmilla presses at the cash register. Laura nods quickly ( _too_ quickly) and she shrugs. “If you get diabetes please don’t sue us.” 

“Uh—” Laura hesitates for a second with her hand poised high, as if preparing to speak but she slumps her shoulders and walks off to the receiving counter. The next customer falls in line with a deeply etched frown on her face. “Do you flirt with all your customers?” She huffs, obviously impatient.

“Not with that attitude.” Carmilla rolls her eyes and grabs another plastic cup. 

/

Danny made sure every single customer leaves the counter holding a mug with intricate foam art floating above their coffee. She’s perfected the anatomy of both Lafontaine and Carmilla’s faces over time, so all the customers get in their cups were faces of the employees when all they wanted was just a simple bean design. 

Carmilla always has a million complaints when Danny delivers the coffee, ranging from _my eyes aren't that small_ to _my ears are not this large, Elvira._ Lafontaine thinks that Danny captures them perfectly.

Carmilla’s shift ends in exactly eight minutes and fifteen seconds. Laf and Perry were busy cleaning up and taking stock respectively, while Carmilla’s dangling her feet from where she's seated above the counter. Danny’s in the kitchen probably preparing for tomorrow’s business.

“Carmilla, make yourself useful and bring in the displays outside.” Lafontaine pokes at her boot with the back of their broom and Carmilla groans dramatically. 

“Why not the overgrown elf?” Carmilla retorts but she pushes herself off the counter and dusts off her jeans casually.

“Danny sets up in the morning.” Laf shoots back and Carmilla grumbles incoherently. “And she's busy being useful back there.”

The annoying trill of the bell raises goosebumps on Carmilla’s skin when she passes through the door. She’s about the make a grab for the standing chalkboard on the sidewalk pavement when she sees the familiar drawing of her own face on the black board. This was unmistakably Danny’s drawing, the same one she insists on drawing on every single cup of latte that passes her.Above the drawing of her face lies a speech bubble pointing from her lips with the word _ME!_ written in block letters. 

(Carmilla thinks it’s Lafontaine’s handwriting.) 

She scowls as her eyes travel further up the chalk board and she nearly asphyxiates when she sees the bolded words written neatly in a straight line above the speech bubble: 

_Today’s Special!_

**Author's Note:**

> ok so i walked past a signboard outside a cafe that had someone's face drawn under the specials column today so (-8


End file.
